Lebanon12 April, 20261 min read
Israel Destroys Entire Lebanese Villages by Rigging Homes with Explosives
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Israeli military demolishes border villages in southern Lebanon by rigging homes with explosives. Villages Taybeh, Naqoura, and Deir Seryan targeted in mass demolitions.
Israeli Demolitions in Lebanon
The Israeli military has carried out systematic demolitions of entire villages in southern Lebanon. Videos reviewed by The Guardian show mass detonations in Taybeh, Naqoura, and Deir Seryan. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called for the destruction of all houses in border villages.
The demolitions followed a two-week period in which over 300 people were killed and over 1000 wounded. Katz said residents south of the Litani River would not be allowed to return.
Human Impact and Displacement
Residents described scenes of total destruction and displacement.
Ahmad Abu Taam said he felt that he had become a refugee.
He had been displaced in the 2024 Hezbollah-Israel war but had returned to rebuild.
This time, everything is gone. Everything has been wiped out.
More than 600,000 Lebanese south of the Litani River face long-term displacement.
Legal and Ethical Concerns
Rights groups warned the demolitions could qualify as a war crime. The laws of war prohibit deliberate destruction of civilian property except when necessary. Human Rights Watch said the possibility of Hezbollah using some structures does not justify wide-scale destruction.
The Israeli military claimed the demolitions targeted Hezbollah infrastructure. The scale of destruction and displacement raised widespread international concern.